Parenting Matters(from doodling to discipline)

“Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!” Psalms 119:11 (NLT)

When I was a little girl growing up on a farm, we always looked forward to the month of June for two “buggy” reasons. First, we loved catching fire flies at dusk, putting them in a jar until morning, and watching them light up like a light bulb in a dark room. We also loved it because the “June” bugs arrived, providing great entertainment. We would catch a few in the grass, gently tie a string about 3 feet long to one of their legs, and watch them fly round and round. After about five minutes we would gently slip off the string, making sure not to injure the bug, and release it out into the world again.

Looking at nature is a great way to instill awe and wonder into the hearts of children. It helps remind them of the glory of the world they live in. The Bible says in Psalms 119: 1

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” ·

Exploring the world we live in also provides an opportunity to teach something cool about science without children even knowing there’s learning going on. Science is the real proof of the “Creator”. Unfortunately if your children attend a government school they will experience a lot of teaching counter to creation and what Scripture teaches about everything they see. Sadly, many children lose their faith as adults because they don’t know how to reconcile the two areas of thought they typically grow up with. One of my closest friends thought she was a believer, lost her way as an adult, and then accepted Christ later in life. She says it was all because of this issue. There are two factors involved here.

Many hours at school with teachers they respect but who teach them there is no creator using only faulty theories like “Darwinism” and stating them as facts. ·

Spending on average 4 hours per week at church being taught by their pastors, parents, and leaders that God created everything while spending 40 hours a week at a school that teaches the opposite. What can we do about this as parents.

This can be a tough concept to divide and figure out to fix the problem. Here are some ideas that can help:

1. Don’t be afraid to teach at home the truth about the lies of evolution and the truth in scripture about creation. It’s OK to explain to your children that their teachers are teaching what they are told to teach and that they may or may not know the creator so make it a point of prayer to regularly pray with them for their teachers. You are raising a child with a heart for the lost by doing this.

2. If you have questions about Creation vs. Evolution yourself, gather resources to help you and your children learn the truth. Here are a couple of great resources you can use to instill the truth.

Tough Answers to Tough Questions by Josh McDowel at http://store.josh.org/cart/product.asp?prodid=084230021X

​Visit http://creation.com/ to sign up for great email articles sent weekly. Their resources are available for all ages including books for adults and children and a yearly magazine subscription for children at this link http://creation.com/creation-magazine

Log your children on to this site for games, articles, and activities sure to give them hours of fun while they learn the truth about creation.

3. Take spontaneous adventures every now and then for the sole purpose of exploring what God has done. One of our favorite memories as a family has been our Pre-planned Surprise Adventures. Dan and I plan the journey, we wake our children on a Saturday morning, tell them how to dress, and take them to an unknown destination. They sometimes failed to enjoy the mystery until arrival but the trip always proved to be a teaching opportunity about God’s amazing design of the world with loads of fun.

4. Do a nature scavenger hunt at least once a season. Here is an example of what to look for on your journey.

5. Discuss things when the opportunity or questions arise that prove the unmistakable miraculous power of God as creator. 6. Keep books on hand that explores the beauty of nature. There is actually more science proving divine design than the science that backs the theory of evolution. In fact it is easier to believe Creation versus Evolution when you dig into the truth.

As parents we are our children’s greatest resource and we hold the opportunity in our hands to give them the real truth and increase their awe and wonder of their creator. They won’t learn this at school. When we enter into a relationship with the Lord, we are then given dominion over the earth. Unless it’s a poisonous snake or spider, which you should never bring home, don’t be afraid to scoop it up and let them learn. There is no greater wonder than a child'scuriosity. Seize those moments while you can.Before you know it, they will be gone. If you haven’t taken the time while they are young to teach them wonder then how will they wonder when they are adults? You hold the greatest opportunity to shape their hearts toward awe of an amazing God!

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom." Matthew 18:2-4 (MSG)